The invention relates to a petcock for controlling the flow of a liquid from a container and more particularly for allowing or preventing the flow of fuel, such as gasoline from a vehicle tank to its engine.
Various types of petcock are commercially available for this purpose; however, they are not completely satisfactory for various reasons.
Some petcock are found to leak fuel external of the valve while others do not entirely cut off the fuel supply from the engine. This problem occurs in some instances when the valve is newly installed or after use when wear between the moving parts has been encountered.
Most presently available petcocks are made from either some type of metal or plastic. The former are found to either gall or bind between the moving parts after prolonged use or when lubrication has not been provided, such as when fuel is removed from the tank for prolonged periods of time. The latter construction almost without exception leaks because of the lubricious nature of the material and the lack of a suitable seal.
Existing petcock are not provided with a simple efficient means for providing positive locking action when switched from "on" to "off" or vice versa. The available valves tend to vibrate from the selectively placed position when being driven on rough terrain or transported aboard a trailer or carrying means. This of course results in a loss of fuel into the vehicle or the shutting off of fuel from an operating vehicle when fuel is required.
These and other problems had not been satisfactorly resolved until the emergence of the instant invention.